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United States Patent |
5,291,932
|
Kraeutler
|
March 8, 1994
|
Goods-handling door having a draft-proof raisable curtain
Abstract
A goods-handling door having a raisable curtain for closing a door-bay, the
door including two rigid side uprights disposed on either side of the
door-bay, each upright including a slideway, the door further including a
curtain disposed between the uprights, the vertical edges of the curtain
sliding in respective ones of the slideways, each upright including a
rigid web that faces said door-bay, each slideway including a vertical
slot formed through said rigid web, said vertical slot being delimited by
two edges, wherein each slideway further includes a flexible
draft-proofing cloth interconnecting its two edges over substantially the
entire height of the slot, thereby delimiting a vertical pocket on its
side opposite from the door-bay, which pocket is designed to receive an
edge of the curtain, said edge bearing flexibly against the bottom of the
pocket, which bottom has sufficient clearance to absorb movements and
deformations of the edge of the curtain.
Inventors:
|
Kraeutler; Bernard (Dunieres, FR)
|
Assignee:
|
Nergeco (Dunieres, FR)
|
Appl. No.:
|
974290 |
Filed:
|
November 10, 1992 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S. Class: |
160/84.01; 160/264; 160/271 |
Intern'l Class: |
E06B 003/94 |
Field of Search: |
160/84.1,268.1,270,271,272,273.1,274,264
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
3231006 | Jan., 1966 | Fisher et al. | 160/272.
|
4357978 | Nov., 1982 | Keller et al. | 160/271.
|
4408650 | Oct., 1983 | Verch | 160/272.
|
4586552 | May., 1986 | Labelle.
| |
4649981 | Mar., 1987 | Bibeau.
| |
4665964 | May., 1987 | Zommers | 160/84.
|
4776379 | Oct., 1988 | Kraeutler | 160/84.
|
5056579 | Oct., 1991 | Krafutler | 160/271.
|
5117892 | Jun., 1992 | Murray | 160/272.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
1578097 | Aug., 1969 | FR.
| |
Primary Examiner: Purol; David M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sughrue, Mion, Zinn, Macpeak & Seas
Claims
I claim:
1. A goods-handling door having a raisable curtain for closing a door-bay,
the door including:
two rigid side uprights disposed on either side of the door-bay,
each upright including a slideway,
the door further including a curtain disposed between the uprights, the
vertical edges of the curtain sliding in respective ones of the slideways,
each upright including a rigid web that faces said door-bay,
each slideway including a vertical slot formed through said rigid web, said
vertical slot being delimited by two edges,
wherein each slideway further includes a flexible draft-proofing cloth
interconnecting said two edges of said vertical slot over substantially
the entire height of the vertical slot, thereby delimiting a vertical
pocket on a side of said each slideway opposite the door-bay, which
vertical pocket is designed to receive one of said vertical edges of the
curtain, said one of said vertical edges bearing flexibly against a bottom
of the vertical pocket, which said bottom has sufficient clearance to
absorb movements and deformations of the one of said vertical edges of the
curtain.
2. The door according to claim 1, wherein the flexible draft-proofing cloth
is provided along said two edges of said vertical slot with rectilinear
rods fixed to the vertical edges of said vertical slot.
3. The door according to claim 2, wherein the flexible draft-proofing cloth
defines a flattened tube, and wherein said rods are disposed inside said
tube.
4. The door according to claim 1, wherein each of said slideways further
comprises plastic section members connected to the vertical edges of said
slot to facilitate sliding of one of said vertical edges of the curtain.
5. The door according to claim 4, wherein the section members resiliently
snap-fastened onto the corresponding edges of said each sideway.
6. The door according to claim 2, wherein the vertical edges of said each
slideway are provided with respective plastic section members that
facilitate sliding of one of said vertical edges of the curtain, and
wherein each section member includes a longitudinal housing for receiving
a corresponding one of said rods.
7. The door according to claim 1, wherein the curtain is reinforced by at
least one reinforcing bar, wherein said at least one reinforcing bar is
shorter than the distance between the slideways and wherein said at least
one reinforcing bar is extended at both ends by endpieces having a
selected one of a smaller or flattened section suitable for engagement in
the slideways.
8. The door according to claim 7, wherein said at least one bar is a tube
having reduced-diameter portions of the endpieces received in the ends of
said tube.
Description
The present invention relates to a goods-handling door having a draft-proof
raisable curtain.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such doors are used in industrial or commercial premises, factories,
warehouses, garages, stores, etc. and they comprise a movable curtain that
can be raised or lowered so as to open or close a door-bay through a wall.
Such a door comprises a frame constituted by two side uprights each
forming or including a slideway for an edge of the curtain, and usually
associated with a top horizontal cross-member that interconnects the top
portions of the uprights.
The present invention relates more particularly to a device that provides
draft-proofing between the edge of the curtain and the corresponding
slideway, that enables the curtain to move quietly, that facilitates
sliding, and that withstands wind effectively. The curtain may be
constituted by a flexible cloth made of fabric or of plastic, and
optionally reinforced by reinforcing bars, the curtain being capable of
being folded up or rolled up at the top of the door. The curtain may also
be constituted by rigid panels that are hinged to one another. In that
case, it will be understood that the device of the invention may be
applied in circumstances where the panels are displaced in a direction
other than the vertical.
An object of the invention is to obtain good draft-proofing from the door
when it is in its closed position. Another object of the invention is to
obtain operation of the door that is quiet, with the edges of the curtain
sliding easily in the slideways.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end, the present invention provides a raisable-curtain
goods-handling door including two rigid side uprights disposed on either
side of the opening of a door-bay, each upright forming or including a
slideway, and a curtain disposed between the uprights, the vertical edges
of the curtain sliding in respective slideways, wherein each slideway
includes a vertical slot formed in the rigid web of the upright that faces
towards the center of the curtain, each slot being delimited by two edges,
and a flexible draft-proofing cloth interconnecting the two edges over
substantially the entire height of the slot, thereby defining a vertical
pocket extending away from the center of the curtain and designed to
receive an edge of the curtain, said edge bearing flexibly against the
bottom of the pocket, said pocket having sufficient clearance to absorb
the movements and deformations of the edge of the curtain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,981 describes an insulating curtain whose edges slide
in side slideways, with each slideway being formed by a flexible
longitudinal pocket disposed in a rigid upright, the edges of the pocket
being fixed to the edges of a longitudinal slot for receiving the edge of
the curtain. In that proposal, the bottom of the pocket is fixed to the
rigid web of the upright. The purpose of the device described is to hold
the edges of the curtain in the slideways when the curtain is exposed to
wind or any other force that acts in a direction perpendicular to the
plane of the curtain. Draft-proofing may be obtained by the edge of the
curtain sliding between two flexible strips applied to the two faces of
the curtain. The device described is fragile and cannot be applied to
goods-handling doors. Operation of the device is unreliable since the
curtain necessarily leaves the slideways where it is rolled up above the
door, and it is not clear that it will return properly into the slideways
on being lowered. In any event, the technical problem is not the same.
In an advantageous embodiment, the flexible draft-proofing cloth is
provided on its two edges with rectilinear rods, and the rods are fixed to
the edges of the slideway. In particular, the cloth may be a flattened
tube, with the rods being received therein.
In accordance with the invention, the edges of the slideway may be fitted
with plastic section members that facilitate sliding of the edges of the
curtain. Advantageously, the section members are resiliently snap-fastened
to the edges of the slideway. Preferably, each section member includes a
longitudinal housing for receiving a corresponding rod.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention is described by way of example with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a door to which the invention
may be applied;
FIG. 2 is a section view on plane II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a section view on plane III--III of FIG. 1; and
FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are perspective views showing details of an item shown in
FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an example of a goods-handling door having a raisable curtain
and to which the invention may be applied (the invention is not shown in
this figure). The door comprises two side uprights 1 and 2 that are
interconnected at their tops by a cross-member 3. A flexible curtain 4 is
capable of closing or opening a door-bay 5 formed through a wall 6, by
being lowered or by being raised. The edges 4a of the curtain 4 slide in
slideways 7 formed in the side uprights. The curtain may be reinforced by
reinforcing bars 8, in which case the ends of the bars may penetrate into
the slideways 7. The invention is also applicable to cases where there are
no reinforcing bars, or to cases where there are reinforcing bars, but
their ends do not penetrate into the slideways 7. The flexible curtain 4
can be wound onto a shaft situated, for example, inside the cross-member
3, or alternatively, it may be folded up concertina-like inside the top
portion of the door. The invention is also applicable to doors that
include a curtain made up of rigid panels that are juxtaposed or that are
hinged to one another, with the side edges thereof sliding in the
slideways 7.
The section of FIG. 2 shows a rigid upright 2 which may be made of metal or
of some other material, e.g. wood or plastic. Each upright 1, 2 includes a
slot 7 that forms a part of the slideway, which slot is formed in a web 9
of the upright 2 that faces the middle of the door, such that the slot
splits said web into two portions 9a and 9b. The edges of the web 9 may be
folded inwards to form edges 7a and 7b for the slideway, as shown. The
slideway may be formed as a single piece, but it is often advantageous for
one of its sides to be removable so as to facilitate manufacture and
maintenance. To the edges 7a and 7b of the slideway are fixed the edges
11b and 11c of a cloth in the form of a strip 11 of strong plastified
fabric for forming a vertical pocket 12. The edge 4a of the curtain 4 is
engaged in said pocket such that when the door is in its closed position
said edge bears resiliently against the bottom 11a of the pocket. The edge
of the curtain is thus made draft-proof when the door is closed, and
flexible and quiet operation of the door is obtained while it is moving.
The cloth thus provides thermal insulation and limits the effects of
frosting.
It is essential for the bottom 11a of the pocket to be free to move without
hindrance away from the slot 7 in the slideway, and thus it is essential
for it to be at sufficient distance from the opposite web 2b of the
upright 2 (or alternatively for there to be no web of the upright in this
direction).
The edges of the flexible cloth 11 may be fixed to the edges 7a and 7b of
the slot 7 by any suitable means. A practical and advantageous example of
such means is described below with reference to FIG. 3.
The section of FIG. 3 is level with a reinforcing bar of the curtain, i.e.
the curtain is one that has reinforcing bars. The figure shows only the
folded edges 7a and 7b on either side of the slot 7, together with the
edges 9a and 9b of the web 9 of the upright 2.
In order to facilitate sliding, sliding section members 26 made of plastic
are snapped into place and secured to the edges 7a and 7b of the slideway.
Each of these section members presents a rounded face 26a in the slot of
the slideway, thereby enhancing sliding and avoiding any danger of
catching. In addition, the draft-proofing cloth may be fixed in simple
manner to these section members. To do this, each section member has a
longitudinally extending housing 28 having a narrow access passage 29,
while each edge of the cloth is provided with a rectilinear rod 25 (made
of wood or plastic) of diameter greater than the width of the narrow
passage, but nevertheless enabling it to be inserted into the housing 28
by resiliently deforming at least a portion of said section member.
The section of FIG. 3 shows a simple manner in which the rods 25 can be
fixed to the cloth. The cloth is merely constituted by a flat tube, and
the two rods are merely engaged therein.
In this figure, the section is made on a horizontal plane that includes the
axis of a reinforcing bar. In this embodiment, the bar comprises a
flexible tube 21, e.g. made of metal or of reinforced plastic, which is
slightly shorter than the gap between the sideways. An endpiece 22 (see
FIG. 4) is fitted in the flexible tube so as to extend it with a fin
portion 22a that lies generally in a vertical plane. The fin portion 22a
is designed to move in the slideway, and it is of reduced thickness, being
of a thickness comparable to that of the curtain. For example, the tube
may have a diameter of 3 cm, while the fin portion is half a centimeter
thick. The endpiece may have a reduced section portion at its other end
22b associated with a shoulder 22c so as to obtain a connection that is
well defined and accurate. The connection may be a force-fit, or it may be
glued, etc. The endpiece may be made of a very stiff plastic so as to hold
the curtain in position in the slideways when the curtain is subjected to
wind, while nevertheless being sufficiently flexible to fold and escape
from the slideway when the curtain is subjected to an abnormal force, e.g.
should a vehicle run into the curtain.
As is well known in the art, the curtain may be lined on both faces over a
reinforcing bar with strips of plastic or plasticized fabric 23a and 23b
(see also FIG. 5) which are extended to the end of the endpiece, so as to
enclose it completely by one of the strips folding over the other at 23c.
The strips are welded to each other above and below the bar, thereby
forming a sheath for the bar.
Finally, as is well known in the art (see patent FR 91-02712), the portion
of the endpiece situated in the slideway between the rounded faces 26a
thereof may itself be provided on its faces that face the two rounded
faces 26a with sliding skids 24, that are advantageously provided with
ribs 24a that extend vertically. The skids reduce wear, facilitate
sliding, and oppose axial movement of the reinforcing bar.
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